Last night, Chris was smiling and bobbing his head to music, causing the nursing staff to crack up. Knowing Chris, he kept doing it since he saw people laughing. Medically, he is making baby steps in the right direction.

He is a talented musician in his own right, so this is a significant step!

I went to see Chris yesterday and he looked at me! I found out he had been tracking with his eyes since Thursday afternoon. The guy from Pulmonology told me he asked Chris questions earlier and Chris nodded to answer! I asked Chris to squeeze my hand and he did. I told him about the gazillion well wishes, prayers, good thoughts, etc. He still is very sick, but I think yesterday's events are more like a giant leap!

A Christopher Green update from his wife Laurie:
As it have been four days since my last post, this one summarizes the past few days. Chris has not yet awakened, so they ordered a CT scan and an MRI. They were both negative. Chris' nurse asked him to squeeze his hand and wiggle his toes. Chris did, just not consistently. This was reflected in his EEG - he is going in and out of semi-consciousness. Today, the doctor thought Chris will eventually clear. His lungs are doing well and he is starting to breathe on his own. There are stilll major problems and he is still considered critical. I am just so grateful for the baby steps. They are bringing me joy whenever I get the news. I am also heartened with all the support, prayers and good thoughts that are being directed towards Chris and I. Thank you so much.

They took Chris to the OR to do his trach (tracheostomy), so they had to put him under. It is supposed to be more comfortable and more effective in O2 delivery.
He has only opened his eyes momentarily, with no recognition.
Thanks again from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers and well wishes.

Just FYI: Tracheostomies are done when the patient is going to be artificially ventilated for more than a few days. It is a lot easier on the throat and the vocal cords. He had already had one done back in 2004, during his long, severe illness then. You could see the scar in some of his pictures.

So now yet another one of my on-line friends is gone, with only his memories left in my mind.

I've been so very fortunate to have had several close on-line friendships. The world of the net is a fascinating place. You can know people all over the globe, people who speak other languages, eat foods that you've never heard of and who enjoy sports or movies or games that are new to you.

And yet they're online, and accessible to you. So you talk to each other and then you're friends. You like how the other person thinks, what they have to say, and you respect them for all the cool things they bring you. And they respect you for the same things.

But they're online, so you might never hear them speak, or give them a hug, or go for a walk together.

And one day they might die, and then what? Of course, you grieve. It's hard because not everybody understands the nature of these friendships. In some ways, these friendships aren't exactly "real." But the world is changing...

I've had 3 close on-line friends, and all of them are dead now, long before they should have been. I miss them horribly. We spoke via threads, via PM and over the phone. I treasure their memories and all the gifts they brought me.

Jim (MFM), Redstone, Khashka. God, how lucky I was to have these magnificent, intelligent, funny people in my life. We helped each other, laughed with each other, enjoyed each others company.

Always remember to tell the people you love that you love them. You might not get another chance.

May all these magnificent men rest in peace...Maybe there's a DU corner in heaven? I don't really believe in heaven, but right now, the thought of these 3 men sitting around together, laughing and talking, gives me comfort.

A new Christopher Green update: (There was no internet or TV for about 24 hours - finished one book and started another).
The head of the bed is raised, sedative is stopped and they are expecting him to wake up soon. It will not be the usual Chris waking up. It will take some time for his body to rid itself of all the sedative he was on and so he will be quite confused and groggy. There are some problems, but they hope they will resolve.

My apologies for this one being so late; I was on my iPad in the hospital for my shoulder repair and I could not figure out how copy and paste.

Chris update:
Doctors continue to be cautiously optimistic as he is still very sick, sedated, intubated and in the ICU. We are thankful for baby steps of improvement. Thank you for your outpouring of love and support. Love, Laurie